Lucky Number Four
by ifallthraindrops
Summary: Season 3ish. Lorelai needs a date to a GilmoreStyle wedding at Martha's Vineyard. Who else could she ask but Luke? And of course, we will encounter love and laughs along the way. JJ please RR
1. Caffeine With a Side of Guilt

Lucky Number Four

A/N: Okay, so, first Gilmore Girls fic and I do realize that it is rather corny, but I thought it was cute…Blame it on too many ABC family movies. grin Based on the fact that Luke will be number four on Lor's list of boyfriends after Chris, Max, and Alex. Correct me if I'm wrong, please.

Also, I need a beta for this fic! If you're interested, review with your email addy or email me. Thankies!

Setting: Mid to Late Season 3-ish, after Max, before Jason; after Rachel, before Nichole; Rory's dating Jess and Lorelai's dating Alex, sorta. The timing is a little funny, so for the purpose of the fic, it's still summer and the Sherry/Gigi/Chris/Balcony thing didn't happen. Just go with the flow, kay?

Disclaimer: If I owned it, I seriously wouldn't be writing fan fiction, now would I? Although, I wouldn't mind owning Luke or Jess…grin (_Lorelai: Dirty!_) Hehe…

Chapter One: Caffeine with a Side of Guilt

It all started with a simple request, a guilt trip, and a lot of caffeine.

"Lukey!" called Lorelai in a high, sing-song voice, plopping down at her usual spot at the counter in Luke's Diner.

"What do you want?" he asked dryly. "And I can't give you coffee if you call me that." But he already had a cup ready and poured her some coffee when she flashed him a broad grin.

"Well…" she began, tapping her fingers on the counter. She paused. "Can I have a Danish?"

Luke raised an eyebrow at her. "It's not Wednesday. I can't. I would be more than happy, however, to substitute a donut in its place," he told her.

When she received it, she didn't eat it right away. After a moment of playing with it, she asked, "How much do you love me?"

"Why?" Luke asked slowly, unsure of an appropriate response.

"How'd you like to go to a wedding with me?"

"What?" Luke just looked at her.

"Well, I sorta have this cousin…" Lorelai trailed off.

"You sorta have a cousin?" Lorelai nodded. "Oh jeeze." He moved down the counter, pouring coffee for a customer, keeping one eye on her.

"It's not bad," Lorelai reassured him. "See, the cousin is getting married. _And_ having a big, fancy, Emily Gilmore-type wedding."

"Uh huh," commented Luke.

"Okay, so, one is expected to bring a date to these sort of functions," Lorelai continued. "And my mother was in her element: 'Oh, Lorelai, the screw up, won't find a date for the wedding; probably have to pay him like a bad Debra Messing movie…'"

"Your mother referred to Debra Messing?" Luke interrupted.

"No, of course not. I may have embellished a little." Lorelai grinned and took a drink of her coffee. "Anyways, so I may have…" she gave a little cough. "Ahem, may have told her that I was seeing someone."

"And let me guess. You aren't seeing anyone, and you don't have a date."

Lorelai nodded meekly.

"And you want me to go to the wedding with you and pretend we're dating just so you can show up your family?" Luke raised an eyebrow at her. "What makes you think I would do something like that?"

"I know, you probably wouldn't want to go, but it would mean a lot to me. And when do I ask you for anything besides coffee anyway? And I…"

"I'll go," Luke interrupted. He turned around behind him to grab the plate that Caesar held out and set it on the table.

"Please consider it. Besides, you know you love me," she continued, unaware that he agreed to go.

"Lorelai, I'll go," said Luke as he poured her more coffee.

"Great! Thank you!" Lorelai grinned and reached over the counter to give him an awkward hug. "Wait," she said after a moment. "Why are you agreeing? I would have thought I'd have to bug you more than this."

Luke just shrugged. "Well, I wouldn't want you to make a fool out of yourself." She beamed. "Anymore than usual anyway."

He awarded her with a smile as she reached over to hit him playfully. "You tease, and yet I know you love me dearly." He just shrugged again. "Admit it, you want to hold me, you want to hug me, you want to…"

"Okay, Gracie," Luke cut her off. "When is this wedding anyway?"

Lorelai ignored his question and instead let out a 'ha' of laughter. "You, big strong Luke who fixes my house and cooks me breakfast, you've actually seen Miss Congeniality? I cannot believe it."

Luke pulled away the empty donut plate, its previous occupant devoured somewhere between the invitation and the Luke-Movie discovery. "No more sugar for you," he told her. She just stared at him. "I _do_ have a sister, you know. And I was dragged on a movie date or two with Rachel." He suddenly got very quiet.

Lorelai frowned. "I'm sorry." Luke just waved it away, busying himself with cleaning a spot off of the counter. "Want some coffee?" She held the cup out to him.

"I've seen the way that stuff affects you, and you have an immunity. Do you really think I would risk it?" Luke pushed the cup back to her.

"But caffeine makes everything better!" Lorelai protested. "Forget candy, coffee makes the world go 'round! A little sip won't hurt you."

"No," Luke said firmly.

"Fine," Lorelai relented. "More for me."

After a pause, during which Luke walked around to the tables, refilling coffee and taking orders and savored a few moments of peace (which he would never admit, but he did enjoy her presence and would gladly let their banter continue all night), he remembered his question. "When is this wedding?" he asked again.

Lorelai drained the rest of her coffee before answering, "Two weeks." She set down her cup and picked up her purse. "I'd better go. Rory and I have a movie marathon to attend. See you later. Dahlin'," she added with a southern twang. She winked and walked out.

"Why do I let myself get talked into these things?" Luke asked out loud to know one in particular.

"I don't know. Maybe you need stronger will power," commented Kirk as he sat down at the counter.

Luke glared at him. "What do you want, Kirk?"

Lorelai pulled into her driveway and walked in the front door, a spring in her step. _Take that, Mom_, she thought wryly. "Rory, my one and only, where are you?" she called as she tossed her purse onto the couch.

"Kitchen!" Rory called back. Lorelai found her at the table, books spread out and studying. Lorelai grinned at her daughter. "What?" Rory asked her, putting down her pencil.

"_I_ have a date to the wedding in two weeks," Lorelai said, walking over to the fridge and opening it. "Hey, how old is this pizza?"

"Too old, don't risk it. Who's the date?" Rory got up and stood next to her mother in front of the open fridge. "Here, this is good, eat this." She handed her a Styrofoam carton of French fries.

Lorelai hesitated for a moment before answering. She wasn't quite sure how Rory would take it, especially since she seemed to be on the side of the town that Luke had a 'thing' for her. "It's Luke."

Rory stepped back from the fridge. "Really? But didn't you tell Grandma that you were 'seeing someone' as you put it?"

Lorelai just shrugged. "Yeah, so?"

"So you're going to pretend to be involved with Luke?" Lorelai nodded. "And he's okay with this?" She nodded again. "Ookay then. Don't blame me if you guys pull a Debra Messing."

"Hey, that's the reference I used!" She took a bite out of a french fry. "Ooh, these are good. When did we get these?"

Rory paused, thinking about it. "Um…Thursday I think. Yep, Thursday."

"Okay. Ooh, we have to go shopping. What are we wearing to the wedding? Ooh, we should match!" Lorelai set the container on the table.

"We are not going to match," said Rory flatly. "That is wrong on so many levels. Besides, I can't go."

"What? You're tossing me to the sharks? How will I possibly go on without my favorite daughter?"

"Hey, did you know you just answered me in all questions?" Rory pointed out. "And anyways, I have summer assignments to finish, laundry to do and stuff."

Lorelai just stared at her. "You're leaving me with Emily Gilmore so you can do laundry? And you finished those assignments weeks ago!"

Rory just shrugged and Lorelai scowled. "So," she said after a moment, "what's on the agenda for movie night?"

Rory walked into the living room, picking up the movies on the table. "Sandra Bullock night. I thought we'd start with a little _Miss Congeniality_ and then a duo, _Speed_ and _Speed Two_. Sound good?"

Lorelai just laughed. "You know Luke's seen _Miss Congeniality_?" She said suddenly.

"Really, now? How did that come up?" Rory picked up the carton of fries and pulled a container of Chinese from the fridge. "Movies are in the other room, grab the m&m's."

Lorelai did as her daughter asked and followed her into the living room. "Well…Since he agreed kinda quickly to go with me, I made some comment about how he loves me and wants to hug me or something like that. Then he called me Gracie." She chose not to mention that he had seen it with Rachel.

Rory turned the TV on and pushed play then sat back on the couch next to Lorelai. "Huh. Definitely not a Luke kind of movie," commented Rory.

"I know. That's what I said." She settled back into the couch after grabbing a fry to munch on.

Halfway though the second movie, Lorelai decided she was bored, and she also had a craving for a hamburger. She threw an m&m at Rory. "I'm bored," she said. "Wanna go get a burger?"

Rory just threw a fry back at her. "I swear you have the attention span of a five year old."

"Yes, well, everybody loves kids, right?"

"Not so much. Should we stop at Doosey's for some Riddlin?"

"Nah, I decided it was easier not to fight my regular meds."

"Good, there's some improvement there then."

"So, burger?"

Rory just rolled her eyes. "As long as you don't interrupt to go anywhere else."

Lorelai grinned. "Thank you, Britain."

"Any time, Hitler."

"Let's go!"

The two walked along the sidewalk next to the road, the light summer wind stirring their hair gently. They chatted back and forth, Rory's arm linked through her mother's. When they reached the diner, Lorelai opened the door and let Rory through with a sweeping bow. "After you, milady," she said as both of them collapsed into giggles.

"Luke, sweetie! Burgers!" called Lorelai, as she plopped down at a seat at the counter. Rory sat down next to her, both still grinning.

The diner was completely empty. Luke stepped out from the kitchen, a dishtowel thrown over a shoulder. "Do you have any idea what time it is?" Luke demanded, his arm crossed.

"Sure," replied Lorelai, checking her watch. "It's ten twenty-six and fifty-seven – fifty-eight – fifty-nine – Darn, now it's ten twenty-seven and two – three – four -- "

"It's almost ten-thirty. It is nearly a half-hour 'til eleven, and you want a burger?" Lorelai nodded. "I will never understand the way you eat."

"And after all these years?" Lorelai gave a little gasp. "Why Luke, I'm shocked!"

Rory nodded in agreement. "It's a vicious cycle. Horrible, but we don't complain."

"Just terrible, but we can't seem to break free of the monotony," Lorelai added, dead-pan.

"We'll have to visit a rehabilitation center to cure us."

"But of course, they won't be able to do a thing."

"Shame. But we'll be a medical mystery."

"Hey, maybe they'll name a disorder or a hospital wing after us!"

"Yeah, a mental wing."

Luke just watched them in amusement, a little worried. "So, coffee and a burger?" Both girls nodded. "Well, I have to go shut off something upstairs because, short of Elijah, I wasn't expecting anyone at ten-thirty." Lorelai just gave him an innocent grin and he disappeared upstairs.

While Luke was gone, Lorelai got up, walked behind the counter, and poured herself and Rory a cup of coffee. She was leaning on the counter across from Rory, sipping her coffee slowly when Luke returned and caught her.

"How many times have I told you, stay on _that_ side of the counter?" He put his hands on her shoulders and steered her back around the counter. For some reason, this sudden touch sent a strange chill down Lorelai's spine.

Ignoring it, Lorelai protested, "But – you – coffee! You forgot to give me coffee! You know how I love my coffee! I'd get it in an IV drip if I could!" She turned around to face him and held out the half-filled cup. "See?"

His hands were on her arms, just below her shoulders, and, even though she was back on the right side of the counter now, he didn't move them. He noted that she didn't move away either. The two suddenly got very quiet. Lorelai looked up into his eyes and was a little surprised at what she saw there.

It was – something so much more than the warmth and affection that was usually there, more than the amusement and tolerance and _acceptance_ of all of her strange quirks. It was almost unreadable, and yet she found herself agreeing with it. People like Babette and Miss Patty were always telling her the same old story, that Luke had a thing for her, it was right there in his eyes. Could that be what she saw? Did he hope for something more in their casual friendship? A better question – did she agree?

She looked over to where Rory was sitting, but all she found was an empty chair. She heard the door close and watched as Rory started for home. She caught Lorelai's eye and winked, grinning.

Lorelai turned back to Luke, speechless for a rare moment. That only lased a moment before her fight or flight instinct took over. "It's getting late," she told Luke. "I should probably go…" Luke dropped his hands to his sides and Lorelai looked away, but not fast enough to miss the flash of disappointment in Luke's eyes.

"Yeah, you're right," he said, walking back behind the counter.

Lorelai turned towards the door, but before she got there, she said, "Hey Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for agreeing to come to the wedding with me."

He just shrugged. "No problem."

She hesitated for a moment before walking back over and kissing him gently on the cheek. "Goodnight."

Luke just froze. "Goodnight," he managed before turning twelve shades of red. Lorelai just smiled at him and flounced out of the diner, her burger craving forgotten.

A/N: R/R please! Next update in one week or twenty reviews, whichever comes first.


	2. A Dream of the Wedding Variety

Lucky Number Four

A/N: AHH! tackles readers THANK YOU SOOO MUCH! Seriously, I never expected to get so many reviews with one chapter! I love you all sooo much! Seriously, reviews do make me write faster!

Also, thank you to my GREAT beta. Seriously, I don't know what I would do without her. She fixes my grammar and adds some ambiance, and she even told me that Martha's Vineyard is a real place, which I totally didn't know. Again, THANK YOU! tackles her too

As promised, here's installment number two! Enjoy and please review!

Chapter Two: A Dream of the Wedding Variety

Five minutes after Lorelai had vanished through the diner door, Luke still stood in the exact place he had been when she left. He stared at the door in silence, a look of complete shock and confusion covered his face. What the hell was that? Did she think that she could just use him for her stupid games and showing up her parents without a thought to what he might feel about that? But even as the anger swelled, he knew it couldn't be true. Lorelai wouldn't use him like that… Would she?

Lorelai was a very affectionate person. She rarely hesitated to hug her friends or kiss them on them goodbye on the cheek. Perhaps this show of affection was just that she was truly grateful for his acceptance of the invitation. That had to be it. In all of the seven years they had known each other, she had never once indicated that her affection with him was anything more than friendly or grateful. Right? No, of course it was right. It had to be.

He flipped the dishtowel down off of his shoulder and began scrubbing the countertops intensely. His eyes were still glued, however, to the door in front of him. Lorelai Gilmore was a very confusing woman.

Lorelai paused when she was just past the diner's windows. Where the hell had that come from? Did she like Luke? Could the crazy townies be right?

But she let out a nervous laugh and shook her head. No, she thought, ending the argument with herself abruptly. It was just a friendly gesture. Wasn't it?

Right. A friendly gesture. She kissed her friends on the cheek all the time. There was nothing to read into.

Then again, with Luke… with Luke it had been different. She had always held back with him. With him she always had to restrain herself, even when she really wish she didn't have to, she only knew it would stir rumors within the town. But was that all?

They were both very guarded individuals. And while she felt completely comfortable in his presence, there was always a – wall – there. Well, not really a wall. It was more of a fence that they were sitting on and neither one of them wanted to hop off because they might fall or tear something. But there was something there. And she was never quite sure of his reaction when she touched him.

She shook her head, dark curls falling into her face. As she neared her house she saw Rory's silhouette in the living room. Shaking her head she mentally cursed the girl for running out and leaving her alone with Luke to do such a stupid thing. She needed her help, desperately.

As soon as Lorelai had stepped into the house, Rory pounced, her eyes dancing. "So, how'd it go?"

"How did what go?" Lorelai asked, genuinely confused.

"With Luke… in the diner…" Rory explained. But Lorelai was silent. Rory crossed her arms. "What happened?"

Lorelai walked past her daughter into the kitchen. She stood in front of the open fridge, still silent. She wasn't really hungry, but she needed a distraction.

Rory followed her. "Mom, did something happen?" Lorelai still didn't say anything. "Did you guys have a fight?" Still nothing. "Okay mom, you have to give me something! Really, this Marcel Marceau act is a little scary."

"No, everything's fine," said Lorelai, closing the fridge. "I'm just tired, long day and all. I'm going to head up to bed, okay? Don't stay up too late."

"Mom…" Rory didn't want to push Lorelai. She didn't want to scare her away, but she couldn't understand why she shut down every time she and Luke were put together in some sort of crisis.

Lorelai found herself sprawled out across her bed. Her room was too hot. Why didn't the air conditioner work properly? She'd have to have Luke fix it in the morning before they left. Unless she forgot, which was quite likely to happen. She made a mental note as she yawned and stared at the ceiling. After awhile, she drifted off to sleep.

She smiled at the groom, and he gazed back at her. The wedding was so beautiful: flowers everywhere, lilies, daffodils, and roses. They were everywhere, yet the amount wasn't over the top. She smiled when she thought of how he tried to act so macho manly by holding off for so long on conceding to the whole floral motif. She always knew he would cave for her, though. As she stood there, a cool breeze lofted through, moving her perfectly done curls ever so slightly. The setting sun gave the whole area a beautiful glow, giving her a warm, fuzzy feeling from the top of the tiara perched on her head to the heel of the white Choos covering her feet.

But who was the bride? She hadn't noticed one walking up the aisle. Would she hurry up already? What was taking so long? She wanted to hit the buffet and bar already…

The funny thing was, the minister had started speaking, anyway. But even stranger than that, he was addressing his speech to _her_. "Do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, through sickness and health, as long as you both shall live?"

She gazed at the minister in bewilderment, but then, when she felt a pair of hands squeeze hers; she turned to face the man in front of her once more. His gaze was captivating, and she could do nothing but stare back at him in the same love and adoration that shone through his eyes.

But then, the strangest thing of all had happened; she then heard herself say, "I do."

Lorelai let out a grunt and shot straight up in her bed. She looked over at the fuzzy clock, which read 3:42 a.m. The details of the dream were quickly fading, but she held onto enough of it to know she needed a professional analysis. That meant Rory.

Lorelai haphazardly threw off the covers, jammed her feet into her feet into a pair of furry Hello Kitty slippers, and ran out of her room and down the stairs. Her mind was racing. She considered sliding down the railing in order to save time so she would remember the dream. But then, remembering her last little accident on the railing, resulting from a similar situation, Lorelai quickly decided against it, for fear that she would fall and hurt something.

Lorelai crashed into her daughter's room and fell onto her bed. "Rory, sweetie, wake up. Mommy needs help."

Rory rolled away from her mother and closed her eyes tightly. "The blue ones with the sparkles. Now go back to bed," she said as she unconsciously swatted another hand at her mother.

"The blue ones, really? I would have picked black. Weird… But no, I had a dream." She poked Rory in the middle of her back. Rory exhaled loudly and sat up to face Lorelai.

"Mom. I'll talk to you in the morning; I am trying to sleep here. It's a cool thing, a beautiful thing. Go try it. Sleep is good."

"Rory, please," Lorelai pleaded.

Rory heard her mother's tone and knew she was serious. "Okay, fine… tell me what happened," she acquiesced.

"Okay," began Lorelai. She shifted her position on the bed. "Well, I was at a wedding. And it was so beautiful, with so many flowers and it was at the Inn… perfect time of day, the sun was setting…" Rory glared at her mother. "_Anyways_, I'm smiling at the groom and he's smiling at me, and I'm thinking, 'okay, where is the bride?' because I just don't see one. So then I realize, 'Hey, this is a funny place to be watching a wedding from,' because I am really close to the groom. Then the minister does his little spiel and I realize he's talking to _me_. And then all of a sudden, I'm like possessed and _I_ say I do. So now I see that the bride is in fact me, and the groom --" The thought hit her very suddenly and with all the force of a certain green truck, "-- well, the groom was Luke!"

Rory took a moment to process before she answered. "Well," she began matter-of-factly, "you're probably just nervous about the wedding coming up, and you don't know if you and Luke will be able to pull it off, hence the confusion about the bride. But you're pretty sure you can handle it, given the confident 'I do'."

"You really think that's it?" asked Lorelai expectantly. This was an explanation she could live with. Unlike the last time when Rory had said –

"Either that or you're in love with Luke." Rory grinned and Lorelai threw a pillow at her.

"Bed, child. And in the morning, we shall venture to the bookstore to get you a book on dream interpretation so you can stop telling me I have the hots for Luke."

"Only because you know it's true," teased Rory. Lorelai rolled her eyes and Rory grinned again. "Good night, mommy dearest." She kissed her mother on the forehead and lay back down.

"Good night, bad seed." Lorelai told her daughter, only half-sarcastically before she walked out of Rory's room and up the stairs.

Once she had gotten there and comfortable under the covers, she found it hard to fall back to sleep. Could Rory possibly have a point? She hadn't mentioned her other Luke dreams to Rory. She had been having a lot of them lately, including some that were not so child-friendly. Actually there were in fact a few that could potentially have some NC-17 ratings…

Lorelai opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling, listening to the fuzzy clock on her bedside table tick off the seconds, until she finally fell asleep.

When Lorelai woke up the next morning, she purposely took a long time in getting dressed so she wouldn't have time to stop by Luke's for breakfast. She didn't think she could look at him with a straight face after last night's dream wedding.

Instead, she waited until she got the inn for her morning caffeine fix. When she arrived at the Inn, Michel ignored her presence in his usual fashion, and she continued on to the kitchen.

"Hey Sookie," she said to her friend as she walked through the door. "Is there coffee?"

"This is an inn, we always have coffee," replied Sookie, handing her a cup. "So, find a date for that wedding of yours yet?"

"Yep," she said quickly. After taking a long, slow sip of her coffee, Lorelai let out a breath and confessed, "Luke's going with me."

Sookie grinned mischievously. "Luke, huh?"

"Yeah, so?" Lorelai set her purse on the counter and drank her coffee.

"Oh, nothing…" Sookie trailed off and busied herself at the stove.

"Sookie…" Lorelai said, following her.

Sookie turned around to face her friend. "You asked Luke to go with you?" Lorelai nodded. "Okay then."

"You're not making any sense!" Lorelai put down her cup and crossed her arms.

"I am," Sookie protested. "Out of all the people you could have asked, you picked Luke."

"Yes, I did," Lorelai said shortly. "Because he is one of my best friends and has always proven to be there in the past."

"Friends like Clinton and Lewinski, huh?" Sookie smirked.

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Why are you making such a big deal out of this?" She just couldn't believe the chain of events from one simple invitation. It was true; she and Luke were just friends. Why could no one understand that? Despite what Harry said to Sally, men and woman can be friends without the sex part getting in the way! Even though they couldn't stick to that, Luke and Lorelai had proven it through almost seven years of friendship. "And what do you mean, 'anyone I could have asked'? Who else could I have asked?"

Sookie shrugged. "What about Christopher? He's crazy about you, and he'd be glad to go with you. Besides, he's used to that sort of function."

"He's out of town," replied Lorelai confidently. "Business trip," she added quickly, giving Sookie substantial proof.

"What about Alex?"

Lorelai opened her mouth, and then closed it again. Why hadn't she asked Alex? True, it had been a while since they'd last hooked up, but he would be glad to go with her too. "He isn't--I don't…he--" she stumbled. "Just because," she finished lamely.

"Uh huh." Sookie turned back around to her cooking.

This only served to fluster Lorelai more. "I do not have to explain myself to you," she said firmly. She took her coffee cup and stomped out of the kitchen with a huff and marched into her office.

She locked the door behind her and took the phone off of the hook. She needed a moment to collect her thoughts without interruption. She sat down and took a long drink of her coffee. What difference did it make whether she took Luke or anyone else to the stupid wedding?

But the difference was Emily already knew Luke. And Lorelai already told her that she didn't have feelings for Luke. How would that look to her mother, her dating a man she said she didn't like that way? She exhaled loudly. But she didn't care what her mother thought, she reasoned. Lorelai just wished everyone would stop prying into her personal relationships, especially when it came to Luke. Why couldn't people just listen to her when she said that their relationship was strictly platonic?

Lorelai picked up the phone and dialed. It was going to be a long day.

"Rory!" Lorelai shrieked, sliding into the living room wearing a bright red bathrobe. "Packing crisis!"

Rory sighed but put down the book she was reading. "What is it this time?"

"Shoes! Blue or black?" Lorelai held up the heels in question. "And seriously honey, haven't you read _Wuthering Heights_ at least eight times?"

Rory rolled her eyes, "Do not judge my reading habits… And the blue ones."

"Blue, really? I would have picked black." Lorelai tossed the black heels over her shoulder where they landed with a clatter. She paused. "Whoa, deja vu."

"What?

"Remember the other night when I woke you up to tell you about my dream and you gave me that--" she paused to emphasize her sarcasm, "_wonderful_ analysis?" Rory nodded. "Well when I told you I needed help, you said the blue ones. And I said that I would have picked black," Lorelai explained.

"Oh, yeah. Maybe we're psychic!"

"Cool! I could put you in a turban, rename you Selma, and exploit you. Fun!"

"Selma? And why don't I get to exploit you?"

"I'm the mother. And all great psychics are named Selma. Have I thought you nothing about movies, child?"

"Hmm, maybe the apple does fall a little far from the tree." Deciding their quirky banter was over, Rory went back to her book and Lorelai returned upstairs.

Only about 20 minutes later, luckily without any further fashion incidents, Lorelai finished packing her bag and hauled it downstairs. Of course, her version of hauling it was setting it on the top stair and pushing it so it fell down the rest of the way. She kicked it off of the stairs and into the living room where Rory was still sitting on the couch. She screeched her daughter's name again.

Rory jumped and Lorelai cackled. "Jeez! What is it this time!"

"Nothing, I just wanted to see you jump." Lorelai cackled through a broad grin.

"So are you heading out?" Lorelai nodded.

Rory got up off of the couch and Lorelai caught her in a hug. She released her slightly and held her daughter at arm's length. "Now remember, there's leftover take out in the fridge and money in the gnome if China and Italy and America don't cut it for you. If you get lonely, go stay with Lane or something, and throw at least one wild party. Got it?"

Rory nodded. "Let's see," she counted off on her fingers. "Take out, money, Lane, wild party. Got it."

"Hey, I'm not kidding about that last one," Lorelai said seriously, although her eyes lit up and said differently. "Invite the thugs."

"I'll put that on the list."

Lorelai's grin slowly faded into serious-mommy-mode-face. "Be careful, okay?" Lorelai trusted her daughter with all of her being. She really did. It was just that sometimes…she knew that sometimes she did have to be the parent. And Jess seriously needed one. She knew that nothing would probably happen while she was away, but she liked to be on the safe side.

"Nothing's going to happen, mom," Rory replied in an equally daughter-serious-tone. She knew her mother trusted her. It was Jess she had to be careful of. Rory slapped her shoulder lightly, "Now go on; get out of here." She smirked. "Have a good time, but stay away from the booze. I don't think Luke is number seven."

Lorelai scowled. "When I get back, remind me to cancel ABC Family. Too many silly movies for you." She pulled Rory close and kissed her on the top of the head. "Well, I'm off. I'll back sometime Sunday, so you've got the house until then. I love you, and don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"That's not very restricting then, is it?" Rory teased. "Bye."

"Bye sweets." Lorelai kissed her daughter on the cheek then picked up her bag and walked out to her car, struggling under the weight.

A/N: Okay, so I lied. No wedding. But there was a dream wedding. Does that count? Next update in twenty reviews (that's whatever there is now plus twenty, you cheaters) or in one week, whichever comes first.

Remember: Reviews are my breath of life, and I can't write if I'm dead!


	3. Big Enough for Both of Us

Lucky Number Four

A/N Ehh….hides I know, it's been SO long since my last chapter…I finally got around to it though! To make up for my huge hiatus (and not telling you guys) I'm open to suggestions for what you want to happen. Mind, I might not use all of them, but I will definitely use some. And I'm also posting the next chapter really soon.

Chapter Three: Big Enough For Both of Us

"What is this garbage?" They had just barely reached the ferry before Luke went into rant mode. Actually, Lorelai was rather surprised that it hadn't started sooner.

"ACDC," Lorelai told him cheerfully. "It's classic."

"Classic to who? This is probably why I'm always fixing stuff at your house. Stuff like this puts you in a destructive mood, just like the rest of the dysfunctional youth of America. In fact, that's probably why all of them are dysfunctional."

"Are you calling me dysfunctional?" Lorelai asked, gasping. "I resent that!"

"You represent that," Luke quipped.

"I, personally, am offended that you could ever think such a thing!"

"Spend some time with yourself, you'll see the light."

"Yet again you jest, but I know you're a big softie at heart. You're just a big desperate wedding invitation acceptor slash Miss Congeniality watcher." After a smirk and a beat, she added, quite unconsciously, "You know you love me."

Luke scowled out the window, part of him knowing it was true and part of him hating himself for it. He changed the topic quickly, feigning annoyance. "Where is this place again?

"Well, the ferry building is over there," Lorelai said patiently, as if she was speaking to a small child and gesturing. "We've got about forty-five minutes. And we get to ride on the ferry! You like those, don't you?" She smirked again. "But every time you ask if we're there yet, that's one day you go without dessert." She grinned and Luke just scowled again, directing it at her.

His silence lasted for about ten minutes, during which Lorelai pulled up, paid the ferry toll, and drove on the ferry. Then ranting-Luke came back again, rearing his ugly head. "Who's Martha? And why would you name a vineyard after yourself? What kind of name is that anyway?""

Lorelai shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe she really liked wine."

"Nobody likes wine that much. And anyways, why do the rich need another place to spend their money and complain about society? What, the three or four beach houses and summer homes they already have aren't enough? Now they have to do it with others just like them who probably have never worked a day in their lives and just lounge around all day because they've got nothing better to do. Do you have any idea what this must cost for…what, five days? How are we supposed to put up with these people? And it's only Wednesday!"

Lorelai just watched the water out her windshield. Luke's rant slowed to quiet grumbling to himself, and she reached out to turn up the radio. She had a feeling that before this week was over, she would share Martha's passion for alcohol.

Lorelai pulled into the parking lot and poked Luke, who had somehow managed to fall asleep despite the fact that he'd only caught her sneak the radio up once out of the four times she'd done it. She turned off the engine and said, "Wakey wakey! We're here."

Luke yawned and stretched. He didn't say anything but climbed out of the car. Lorelai got out too. "I have to go check in. You can come or stay here or whatever." Luke shrugged and followed her as she made her way up to a large brick building.

The Vineyard was beautiful in the summer, Lorelai noted as she looked around. The lagoon was beautiful, the water sparkling just over a grassy hill. She loved the beach. It had been so long since she'd last been there, but she truly loved it. She loved the way her toes felt in the soft sand, the way the ocean breeze stirred her hair and even the way the smell of the salt water made her ravenous.

Half way between her car and the office building, Lorelai spun around, her hair flying out around her. Luke stared at her like she'd grown another head, but she ignored him and giggled, her heart light. It was so easy to feel happy in a place like Martha's Vineyard that was so pretty.

After her brief moment of the childishness she felt in her heart, she grew more serious, although she couldn't stop grinning. Once she got her keys (one for her and one for Luke), they got back in her car and tried to find their room. They were staying at the Herring Run House in the Breezeway Room. After driving around for twenty minutes and avoiding several family members who waved at her to pull over, she found it. Lorelai parked and, happily toting only her purse, left Luke to carry the bags. They mounted the stairs, found the room and were stopped by none other than Emily Gilmore.

"Lorelai!" came the sharp bark.

It was too late to hide or run, so Lorelai whirled around. "Hi mom."

"When did you get here?" Emily looked from Lorelai to Luke back to Lorelai, but didn't say anything. Yet.

"Uh, just a little while ago." Lorelai twisted the hem of her shirt behind her back. She waited for the criticism, which was sure to target Luke.

To her surprise, it never came. Instead, Emily said, "Oh. Well, carry on. Make sure you are ready in one hour for the meet and greet downstairs."

"Okay, mom." Emily walked past Lorelai, throwing a dirty look at Luke as she passed and shooting Lorelai a look that plainly said _we will discuss this later._

Lorelai let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding and turned to open the door. Luke dropped their bags unceremoniously to the floor just inside. He stood next to Lorelai, surveying the room.

The room was huge. It was rather sparsely furnished with off white walls and mahogany furniture. One huge window overlooked the lagoon. In the bathroom, Lorelai could see a huge bathtub and, if she wasn't mistaken, satellite TV. Oh yeah, she was going to like this week.

They both made the observation, though it was Luke who said it aloud. "There's only one bed."

"So?" Lorelai didn't think anything of it. Besides, they were supposed to be dating, what did they expect? Generally, society (and the Gilmores) expected an actual couple. And of course, everyone knew Lorelai wasn't exactly a nun.

"So there's only one bed," Luke repeated, sounding as if she should realize the problem immediately.

Lorelai walked over to the bed and sat down, bouncing slightly. "I know; I can see that."

Luke stared at her in disbelief for a moment. Then – "Okay, so – one bed – and no couch…well, the floor looks suitable. We can probably get some extra blankets or pillows or something. We can make it work."

Lorelai leaned forward and grabbed Luke's hand, pulling him towards her. She patted the spot beside her and Luke sat down, his head tilted to one side, looking at her. "Nah, there's plenty of room for both of us. Plus this is a good mattress."

As usual, Lorelai didn't think before she spoke. She felt her face get warm with the blush and she turned her face away. Did she just tell Luke to sleep with her? In the literal sense of the word of course, but the request still hung in the air. And what did she mean by the mattress comment? There were only two reasons for having a good mattress, and judging by the look on Luke's face, minimized back pain wasn't the one he was thinking of.

Luke turned his patented thirteen shades of red. Did she just tell him to sleep with her? Luke thought it wiser to turn her down. Although it would probably be the closest he ever got her, he definitely didn't want to risk anything happening. "Uh, no, the floor will be fine," he mumbled, staring at the floor. He thought it wise to ignore the mattress comment, although he knew that he could use it later to tease her.

"Okay, well, whatever floats your boat. We should probably get settled…unpack and such," said Lorelai brightly, opting for a subject change. "So we've got, what, forty-five minutes? Plenty of time."

Lorelai dragged her bag over to the dresser. She unzipped it, opened a drawer, and dumped the bag's contents inside. She fished out her make-up bag, which she set on the bathroom counter, kicked her bag into a corner and jumped on the bed with the TV remote. Luke took the care to put his things away neatly, and then stood at the end of the bed, watching at Lorelai flipped through channels. After about five minutes, he said with his usual grumpy tone, "Will you just pick a channel?"

Lorelai stuck her tongue out at him, but found a movie to watch. "Oh, I love this movie!" she squealed. She settled back into the pillows, watching.

"What is this?" Luke asked. "And you can't start watching a movie in the middle. Besides, you can't even watch the rest of it because we have to go down there and meet everyone."

"But it's a classic!" Lorelai protested. "You've never seen _Enough_ with Jennifer Lopez?"

"No," said Luke shortly, his arms crossed. He sat down on the end of the bed, and they watched the movie in silence. She glanced over at Luke every so often to see his reaction to certain parts. The last time he scowled at her, so she stopped.

At quarter to six, Lorelai rolled off of the bed and into the bathroom. She plugged in her curling iron, fixed her hair and make-up and changed into a different dress and, with Luke grumbling and tapping his foot impatiently, managed to make them fifteen minutes late.

Halfway down the stairs, Lorelai stopped and faced Luke. "Okay, you know we have to actually look like a couple, right?" Luke shrugged. "Okay." Lorelai slid her arm through Luke's and smiled at him. "Just remember that." She really hoped they could pull this off.

As much as Luke liked being that close to Lorelai, he knew that in the end, it was all a game for her. It wasn't _him_ that caused her ask him to this wedding. She only wanted to show up her family and prove that she could get a date.

He knew he should be angrier than he was with her. He should be mad that she was screwing with his emotions and messing with his head. But all she had to do was look at him and give him that smile, and all of his anger melted away.

He spotted a bar to the side and asked her if he could get her a drink. She nodded. "White wine. Please and thank you." She grinned again and he walked off.

Emily chose his absence as a prime moment to pull Lorelai away and speak with her. Well, to her rather. "You're seeing the diner man? The man who was looking at you like a steak?" Emily whispered sharply.

"Yes, mother." Lorelai was seriously racking up the patience points. _I better be getting major karma points for this, _she thought.

"When did this start?" Emily looked up from her glare at Lorelai to smile at some cousin or other. "And what on Earth are you thinking?"

Lorelai closed her eyes for a moment, collecting her thoughts. "Um, not that long ago. I just decided…" Lorelai really had to swallow her pride on this one, "you were right. That all this time I couldn't see what was right in front of me…" Lorelai fiddled with the end of her hair behind her back. "And um, so yeah. Now we're seeing each other."

All Emily said to this was, "Don't say 'um'. It isn't proper. Neither is 'yeah'."

Lorelai raised her eyebrow at the second time Emily Gilmore had chosen not to criticize her, but before she could say anything, Luke returned to them, handing Lorelai her wine. Emily pursed her lips and said tightly, "It's nice seeing you again, Luke. How is that diner of yours?"

"It's doing fine, Emily, thanks for asking." Luke said uncomfortably, taking a sip of his own drink.

"Well, I'll be getting back to making the rounds," Emily said. As she walked off, she shot a glare at Lorelai, who rolled her eyes.

"Ookay. That's my mother for you," she said and took a drink of her wine. She reached over and intertwined her fingers with Luke's. "Appearances, my dear," she said to his questioning look. She finished her wine in one drink, deciding that the glasses were entirely too small. She set her empty one on a nearby server's tray. She tugged Luke back towards the bar, but half way there, they were stopped by an aunt.

"Lorelai, how nice to see you again!" she gushed. "How have you been?"

"I've been good, um…" She paused to fish for a name, but she gave up. "Good. And you?"

"I've been good too! So, is this your date?" she asked, gesturing to Luke.

Lorelai nodded. "Yep, this is my…him. This is Luke, Luke this is my aunt Chris – em – antha --ahem." She coughed to cover up the name, as she couldn't remember it.

"Well, it's very nice to meet you, Luke." He accepted the hand she extended.

"Yeah, nice to meet you too."

"Well, I'll be off," said the aunt. She winked at Lorelai and gave her a thumbs-up behind Luke's back. Lorelai just rolled her eyes again.

Once free of the aunt, Lorelai sighed in relief. "Ugh, I hate these functions. So many relatives that I haven't seen in ages, and yet they expect me to remember them from that _one_ time I met them when I was like, five."

"So what are we supposed to do at this thing?" Luke asked. Although, he didn't really care as long as Lorelai kept her hand where it was currently located – in his.

Lorelai shrugged. "Mingle," She told him as they walked around the room, smiling at her relatives. "Relive moments of my horrible childhood until someone decides they want to toast the bride and groom and then we have dinner."

"Gotcha." He removed his hand from hers and pulled her closer to him, sliding an arm around her waist. He figured he could get away with it, what with the situation and all. Lorelai raised an eyebrow at him and he said, "Appearances, my dear."

"Oh, good thinking," she said, but her mind wasn't on it. Her mind was instead on the way she seemed to fit into Luke's arms. Normally, walking with someone's arm around you proved to be awkward and resulted in tripping. But now, as they stopped to chat with various family members, she saw that they were walking just fine. Not only that, but every time he moved his arm the slightest bit, his touch sent shivers down her spine. And not the creepy kind, but like they were supposed to be there, in each other's arms. Like it wasn't pretend anymore and had transformed into some sort of perfect first date for the two of them, only without the awkwardness of searching for conversation topics. It was…nice.

But of course, Lorelai couldn't enjoy it. Thoughts of a ruined friendship squashed the thought of Luke's arm around her, and her fight or flight instinct, once again, took over. She pulled away from him and said quietly, "I'm going to, ahem, powder my nose. I'll be right back."

She practically ran off towards the bathroom, leaving a very confused and uncomfortable Luke behind her.

She leaned against the sink, staring into the mirror above it but not really looking. This wasn't how this weekend was supposed to go. It wasn't supposed to be…right. Luke was supposed to grumble the whole time; she was supposed to have to force him to do everything…Why couldn't _he_ understand that?

But Luke was being perfect. He chatted with all of her cousins and aunts and uncles and he pretended to be _with_ her. It was just…perfect.

She took a deep breath and reapplied her lipstick. Two could play at this game.

A/N: Review, please! Remember, tell me what you want to happen! I'll try to work some of them in. Plus, ya know, if you do review, you have my undying gratitude plus hugs and cookies. And it does make me write faster.


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